Voice assistants like Siri can offer convenience, but they also raise privacy concerns. According to Apple, any audio interactions with Siri or Dictation “may be accessed by a reviewer … to grade effectiveness” — even though identifying information is removed.
To address these concerns, Apple offers users the option to disable Siri specifically on AirPods, allowing greater control over when and how Siri listens.
Disabling Siri prevents it from activating through tap or press gestures on the AirPods, which can help avoid unintended audio recording and reduce potential privacy risks.
This option complements Apple’s broader privacy measures designed to minimize data sent off-device by processing many commands locally on the user’s device, thus limiting exposure and enhancing user control over voice data.
That said: Apple states that it does not retain your audio recordings unless you explicitly opt in for Siri improvement, and that it “uses the minimal data needed” when server-side processing is required.
Steps to Turn off Siri
Follow the steps below. The screenshots above show the related Settings screens on a typical iPhone (iOS 17/18).
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Scroll down and tap “Siri & Search” (or, on newer iOS versions, it might be labeled “Apple Intelligence & Siri”).
- Toggle off “Listen for ‘Hey Siri’”: This prevents Siri from listening for the wake phrase.
- Toggle off “Press Side Button for Siri” (or “Press Home Button for Siri” on older devices): This stops Siri from activating when you press the side or home button.
- If present, toggle off “Allow Siri When Locked”: This ensures Siri won’t respond while your iPhone is locked — adding a layer of security.
- Confirm turning off Siri when prompted: After toggling off the main options, your iPhone may show a confirmation dialog: “Turning off Siri will disable …” Accept it to complete the process.
Disable Siri Suggestions & Dictation (For Max Privacy)
For an extra layer of control, you can stop Siri from reading your messages aloud on AirPods by disabling the ‘Announce Notifications‘ feature in your device’s settings. This prevents Siri from actively announcing notifications while still allowing you to use other voice assistant functions, ensuring a more private and uninterrupted listening experience.
- Go to Settings → Siri & Search → scroll down to Siri Suggestions and turn off options like “Show in Search”, “Suggest Shortcuts”, “Show on Home Screen”, etc. Apple Support+1
- If you want to remove any stored Siri / Dictation transcripts, go to Settings → Siri → Siri & Dictation History → Delete Siri & Dictation History. Apple
- For full voice-input control, you can even disable Dictation under Settings → General → Keyboard, by toggling off “Enable Dictation.”
